Wetang’ula: Webuye Pan Paper factory set to resume operations soon
By Mabonga Makhanu, December 26, 2025National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has assured Webuye West locals that the Webuye Paper Mills will begin operations soon.
While speaking during the Tachoni Festival at Masinde Muliro University, Webuye Campus grounds, on Friday, December 26, 2025, Wetang’ula stated that the paper mill has not been able to resume operations since it was taken over by Jaswant Rai due to a government order banning the cutting down of trees.
Since the company is highly dependent on trees to make pulp, it has been impossible for operations to begin.
He further stated that a meeting was held involving the President, himself, and Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Mulongo, which resulted in the lifting of the ban on cutting trees.
He noted that mature plantation trees, which are necessary for the factory’s running, can now be cut, a move which, according to Wetang’ula, will see the famous Webuye Pan Paper Mills, which have remained dysfunctional for years, roar back to their glory days.
“Kuna kiwanda chetu cha Pan Paper, kuna muindi anaitwa Rai mwenye alinunua. Aliponunua, serikali ikafunga kukata miti, na hiki ni kiwanda ambacho kinategemea miti.”
“Tumeketi na serikali na rais na waziri wetu wa mazingira tukasema miti ambayo ni ya plantation, cypress na pinus, yenye iko mature sasa rais ametoa idhini ili ikatwe, ili factory yetu ianze kazi,” he said.
He also went on to state that former employees of the paper mills who had not received their dues before its closure and eventual takeover by Rai will be paid, adding that he and the area MP will help in settling the arrears owed to the Webuye Pan Paper workers.
“Wafanyakazi wa Pan Paper wa zamani ambao walikuwa wamekaa miaka kumi bila kulipwa, nimeleta hapa pesa na nimeambiwa nao mjumbe wenu hapa, sasa jioni wanatembea vizuri.”
Webuye Pan Paper
Webuye Pan Paper, nestled on the slopes of the Chetambe Hills and beside the River Nzoia, was once vibrant in the region until 2010 and employed many locals living around it. However, it has remained silent following its major downfall.
The factory was taken over by Indian investor and business mogul Jaswant Rai, who invested heavily in the region after purchasing it at a price of Ksh800 million, thereby privatising it and ending government ownership. Its name was later changed to Rai Papers.
This led to an uproar from leaders in the region, with Rai promising that the plant would roar back to life within four months. However, years have passed, and the factory continues to gather dust.
Rai was also behind the Nzoia Sugar lease, which was handed to him months ago. This sparked protests from opposition leaders over the 30-year lease, which saw the company’s name changed from Nzoia Sugar Company to Nzoia 2025.